Pale Moon Rising
by Deep Miasma
Summary: A swan youkai, Kimi stumbles upon some old records containing information about the great power possessed by Inuyasha’s father. She is amazed and feels the need to prove herself and defeat this daiyoukai's descendents.
1. She Who Is Without Equal

Chapter 1

"_She Who Is Without Equal"_

She could be seen atop the great mountain gazing up at the one thing that could ever be at peace in such a feudal era. The Great Moon gleamed down upon her brighter than the sun, it seemed. However, not a single urge came to her knowledge to force her to shield her eyes from such light. She only stood there, letting the crisp air whisper across her face bringing with it tiny mists of water from the fog above the lake beneath her. Not a sound could be heard save for the occasional hoot of the lone owl and the soft waves from a not-so-distant ocean. This was the way Kimi preferred it to be, quiet, undisturbed, alone. It was how it always should have been, and always was in the quiet realm of the Suwan Youkai, the northern lands of Hoppou.

Even in this serene atmosphere, Kimi found herself placing her hand onto the hilt of her blade, the Shoushi-Ken, the blade that had been her loyal ally through every battle, every war, and every idle threat to oppose her. There did not yet appear a single being that resided above the earth that could rival her strength, the strength that she had acquired all on her own. That strength would never betray her, as she would never deceive it. She had no reason to. Some would have called her caution paranoia, or a lust for battle, but she gave these accusations no further thought. In her mind, she was only looking after herself and her people. She had been responsible for her own well-being practically since she was born, as her parents rejected her, or had been killed, she'd like to believe. There was no question as to how great her powers were, for her parents were certainly daiyoukai, supreme demons. She could not help but wonder what really happened to them. Did they really abandon her as she presumed, or were they actually killed? And if so, whom by?

Hours passed before Kimi left that spot among the mountain. Hours of thought, hours of contemplation came and went before she could allow herself to move on and wait for the pale moon to set and the bright sun to rise the next morning.

She awakened sitting up against a tree near the same mountain she had been pondering on the very night before. Very few of the Suwan Youkai have ever had a designated position of slumber, as they were a wandering kind, even within their own boundaries. Standing in one place for too long could be agitating to any youkai, especially the most powerful.

After Kimi stood, she did a light stretch and walked down the hill towards the village of the clan. A few youkai could be seen bustling about, whether in conversation or in playful sparring, especially the younger generation. Kimi was often looked upon as part of the younger generation, seeing as she was a mere 45 compared to the more mature 80 and 90-year-old youkai, yet even they were seen as young to the elders who were well in their hundreds. Her maturity allowed her to fit in with older youkai, not that she wanted to fit in with anyone. Nevertheless, she was a role model to youkai years above her and years beneath her.

After a few steps, she immediately decided to go into the quiet den beneath a waterfall in the heart of the village. A shield ruptured from her very flesh, causing the water to slide around her as she entered the den. No one was inside, which was expected. There was nothing inside the den except for records upon records of youkai and other significant beings throughout the time of the present era. She was always interested in reading about such things, confirming her supreme and unrivaled power. She immediately grabbed for the scroll entitled "Western Lands", as it was one of the few which she had yet to read.

In opening the scroll a specific youkai immediately caught her attention. His name was difficult to read as the pages were so faded, but the pictures were clear. He was an extremely large dog youkai rumored to be hundreds of years old. His powers were "ultimate" and none of his foe had gone undefeated. Kimi read on to find out that this so-called "ultimate" youkai was slain by a powerful dragon unknown to her called Ryukotsusei. She smiled to herself. How could one said to be so great a youkai be conquered by a mere dragon? She closed the scroll and tossed it into a heap of the ones she had already read. After doing this, she was on her way.

Even though this unknown youkai had been defeated, Kimi's eyes had been open to new threats. Perhaps there were youkai out there whose power surpassed her own, as foolish as that seemed. It would only make sense to assume that because Kimi had not faced every single youkai there was that there was possibly an equal match out there just waiting for her.

Considering this, she left the village of Hoppou without telling anyone, not as if she needed to. She could come and go as she pleased, which was the beauty if living in a community of youkai. She was free, but she was not without concern. She decided to travel to the Western Lands to see if she could take a glimpse of where this invincible dog youkai once resided. Come to think of it, she had never actually been to the Western Lands.

What could await her there? A challenge? Not likely, but there was always hope.


	2. A Thin Bloodline

Chapter 2

"_A Thin Bloodline"_

Inuyasha paced around the Bone Eater's Well with his fists shoved into the oversized sleeves of his kimono. Kagome had gone to her time quite a while ago to take another one of her "tests". Nearly a day had passed since he had last seen her. It wasn't as if he was becoming worried about her. He just wanted her to hurry up and get back so that they could continue their search for the fragments of the Shikon Jewel. If they didn't need her to sense the shards, he wouldn't even waste his time waiting for her. She was such a drag most of the time.

"Inuyasha!" he heard the voice of his annoying companion, Shippo, the kitsune (fox) youkai.

He turned to the little creature and stopped pacing.

"What?" He tried to refrain from speaking further for his voice could clearly be read as irritated. Then Shippo would presume that Inuyasha missed Kagome. The last thing he needed was for a little kitsune youkai to try and read his mind.

The young fox hopped up onto the edge of the well and looked down. "Kagome hasn't come back yet?" he asked.

Inuyasha drove his fist into Shippo's back and he went tumbling over the edge and into the well. With a cry, he clutched onto a vine near the surface.

"Hey! What was that for?"

"That was for asking yet another stupid question, you dumb fox." With that, Inuyasha carried on with his restless pacing around the well.

Shippo whimpered as he attempted to crawl back over onto solid ground. "Why are you always being so rude to me!" he demanded to know.

"Why don't you just shut up and go away? You're such a pain."

Shippo was about to utter yet another word until the Bone Eater's Well began to glow and Kagome crawled over from the other side.

Inuyasha frowned as he looked in her direction. "Kagome, what took you so lo..."

"Osuwari..." she mumbled and Inuyasha went crashing into the ground head first. Nonchalantly, she picked up Shippo and held him close to herself. "Hi, Shippo," she greeted.

He rubbed his head against her cheek. "I missed you, Kagome! Now that you're back, Inuyasha won't get out of line for a while."

"Grr..." Inuyasha stood angrily and curled his fists.

"Come on, Shippo, let's go check on the others," Kagome said, ignoring her fuming cohort and walking away.

Inuyasha watched as he was again left alone. "What a waste of time waiting for her..." he muttered. As he was about to follow her, the scent of something strange caught his attention. He spun around just in time to seize a glimpse of something bright dash behind a tree not too far from the Bone Eater's Well. Immediately, yet quietly, he began to walk towards the area where the culprit was supposedly watching him.

Just in case, he held his hand in the ready to draw his Tetsusaiga. The more steps he took, the least he could sense the odd odor that had caused him to become suspicious, so he began to walk faster in hopes of catching the villain before he escaped. Unfortunately, as he ran, the smell began to dissolve immediately as if into the air. As a final attempt, Inuyasha drew his weapon with a bellow and sliced down the tree where the enemy once stood. He was no longer there.

"Huh..." Taking one last whiff of the air, just to be sure that this new foe was in fact gone, Inuyasha sheathed Tetsusaiga and followed Kagome and Shippo to where Sango, Miroku, and Kirara were.

Kimi's wings took her high into the air a young hanyou came walking in to her direction. She knew that he was a hanyou, for his being was childish, the very way he carried himself was un-youkai-like. Could this be a descendent of the great dog youkai who ruled over the Western Lands? His sword was none other than the Tetsusaiga. She had read about this sword the very same day. It belonged to the great dog youkai. Unless this hanyou was able to steal it from him, which was highly unlikely, he had inherited the sword after his father's death. So, this great youkai had gone so low as to have had an affair with a Human and produce a hanyou child. She doubted the power of the famous dog youkai more and more as she went deeper into the Western Lands.

She had a feeling that she would meet with this hanyou again. This time, however, she would expose herself and dispose of the young being; Of course, not before testing his strength in using Tetsusaiga, so finally her question of whether or not that his blood was the same as the daiyoukai whom had been lingering within her very thoughts for the past half day.

...

A day had passed before Kimi felt the presence of the hanyou yet again. This time she would be careful not to engage his scent as easily as she had done so earlier. She lifted herself into the air and perched on the highest branch of the highest tree she could find in the path of this hanyou and his companions. They were Human, how strange. It was considered an insult for any youkai to associate himself with one of mortal blood. How could he be a descended of the great daiyoukai?

As the company neared her, she hugged her back against the tree and hung her hand above Shoushi-Ken. She would attack quickly, before he could even sense her this time. Just as the hanyou was right beneath her feet, she leaped from the branch she stood on and pushed downward with all of her might, drawing her wings back into her flesh so that they would not hinder her whatsoever. She situated herself to land directly in front of the hanyou. He was stunned, as he did not draw his weapon right away. Kimi took this opportunity to unsheathe Shoushi-Ken and swing it in his direction. Surprisingly enough, his reflexes proved worthy of battle. Shoushi-Ken fell into the dirt. Kimi pulled it out quickly and swung back at the hanyou, who had just enough time to draw out Tetsusaiga as our blades clashed.

"Inuyasha!" a young Human girl with strange clothing shouted.

"Who the hell are you?" the hanyou, Inuyasha, inquired, ignoring the girl.

Kimi pressed forward, driving Inuyasha into the back of a tree, their blades still clinging together, the sound of the metal scraping together bringing a feverish delight to her ear. She felt no need to answer the hanyou's question, as she had expected an answer to her own.

"It's a suwan youkai!" cried another being from behind. It was from the second female companion that this Inuyasha was traveling with. With a side glance Kimi could tell that she was a youkai exterminator, though she did not even need to look at her to decipher that. Only a youkai exterminator would have the knowledge of the suwan youkai clan. "Get back, Inuyasha, she's very dangerous!"

"Ha!" Inuyasha's overconfidence was sickening. However, Kimi felt Tetsusaiga vibrating from our collision. What was he planning? Soon she could see a faint murmur of wind engulf his blade. She backed away just in time to recall the Kaze no Kizu. It was this very attack that was rumored to destroy one hundred oni in one mere sweep. No matter how strong she was at the time, this would surely do her in if she did not make a move quickly. Kimi leaped back as Inuyasha raised Tetsusaiga into the air screaming, "Kaze no Kizu!!!!!!"

As soon as he had swung down, Kimi extended her wings and flew as high into the air as she possibly could. Even in flying this high, the powerful blade caught her and brought her down to the ground. She landed face-first and her vision became blank.

Kagome shielded her eyes from Inuyasha's random blow of the Kaze no Kizu. He could have at least told everyone to get back. How reckless of him. She came up behind him and peeked over his shoulder at the foe he had just recently brought down.

"'Very dangerous' Ha! She was just a kid!" he boasted, sheathing his Tetsusaiga.

Kagome glanced at Sango, whose gaze remained on the young suwan youkai. Her brow was furrowed in an odd way signalizing that she was suspicious of this creature. She slowly approached the girl and leaned over her with great care just incase she suddenly revived and struck out at her.

"That's strange," she said. "She's still alive."

Miroku joined Sango's side. "Better we just leave her here. She's not as dangerous as you thought, is she?"

"I don't know..."

Miroku placed his hand onto Sango's arm and pushed her forward talking as they went. "Most-likely, this confrontation has taught her a lesson and she'll know better than to underestimate us again."

"'Us?'" Inuyasha shouted. "What the hell did you do to help? I didn't see you do anything but watch!"

Miroku folded his arm giving himself his traditional wise appearance. "I simply stood by just in case things got out of hand. The girl did not appear to pose any threat to you."

"Yeah right..."

As they were arguing and dragging Sango along, Kagome and Shippo stood a few feet from the suwan youkai. Kirara had followed Sango after giving the young girl one last look. It was obvious that no one trusted that this youkai was gone for good.

Kagome then felt Shippo tug at her sock.

"Let's go, Kagome. If she comes back Inuyasha will definitely take care of her," he said.

"Okay..."

With that, the group made their way out of the woods and out of harms way, for now...


	3. A Second Son

Chapter 3

"_A Second Son"_

Kimi's nails dug into the ground as she pulled herself up onto her knees, spitting out the dirt and blood granted her by the Kaze no Kizu. This Inuyasha was definitely the son of the daiyoukai she had studied earlier. She should have taken more sensible precautions. It was rare that she let her mind fight ahead of her body. This was a mistake that she would do best never to make again.

After composing herself, she brought herself up to her feet and took her time to stand straight. Tetsusaiga was definitely a most ultimate blade. If only she had had sense enough to use Shoushi-Ken's ougi, the Kuro-Teisei, commonly known as the dark whisper, which never failed in sending her enemy to the underworld. Hanyou or no hanyou, this fiend had powers that she had never witnessed before in her entire life.

Not even a day after this confrontation, Kimi came upon yet another unusual being. This one resembled the daiyoukai in the scrolls greatly. Was this another one of his sons? How many offspring had the confounded creature left upon the earth before his passing? She would not be foolish this time. She took her time observing this one's movements for quite some time. She noticed that he as well took strange company as his hanyou relative. An imp, a two-headed beast, and to no surprise, a Human. This Human was young, only a little child. What an odd group they made up. Her approach should be as stealthily as possible. She pursued them for another day...

...

Rin wiggled her legs from left to right as she sat atop Ah and Un on the journey through a thick field of grass. She could be so foolish sometimes. Jaken walked beside Sesshoumaru his height barely allowing him to peek over the high reeds and have a glimpse at where exactly they were headed. Sesshoumaru had an odd look about him earlier in the day and he changed his course from north to west nonchalantly. Without even guessing, Jaken could tell that something was unusual. Of course Rin seemed not to mind. All the world was happiness and joy to her. It was hard to believe that she was once a mute and desolate orphan.

For a second, Jaken opened his mouth to ask his lord where they were heading, but he shut it quickly as Sesshoumaru brought his arm out motioning for them all to cease.

"Wait here," was all he said before easing deeper and deeper into the high thickets leading into the woods.

Jaken sighed after Sesshoumaru had left earshot. "I wish Lord Sesshoumaru would have at least told us where we were going. What's in the woods that he doesn't want us to see?"

"I think it could be another youkai," Rin said as if she had known everything there was to know about everything that existed. "The way he stopped in mid-step the other day and looked around for almost half an hour sort of gave it away."

"Oh, don't act like you know what's going on! I'm sure Lord Sesshoumaru has a reason for keeping this a secret from us!"

Rin ignored his last statement and began to rave about how fresh the grass appeared to Aun. They followed her as she led them to a ripe green patch not too far east. Jaken sighed yet again. How he hated being stuck with this child.

...

Sesshoumaru knew he was being followed, nearly two days now. The scent was not one that he recognized, yet he knew that this unidentified stalker was indeed a youkai, the breed of youkai was not known. There had to have been a reason for this youkai to be following him for all of this time without launching any type of attack. It was best for Jaken and Rin to stay behind, for they would only draw even more attention to him, frightening away the subject, whom Sesshoumaru actually wanted to meet so that he could be rid of it.

Taking one last step, Sesshoumaru stopped and looked up. It was above him, the youkai. Quickly drawing Tokijin, he gave a horizontal swing slicing down every tree within a 180° radius of him. They all came down with a crash along with a young female youkai. He had not seen her kind before, but judging by her strange white bird-like wings, she was of the suwan youkai clan. Strange. The last he had heard of them, it was said that they stayed in their own lands away from all other forms of life.

"Who are you?" she asked him, her hands remaining at her side. He could see an odd sword poking out from a sheath between her arm and waistline. She was preparing for an ambush.

He kept his gaze onto hers. "I should be so inquiring," he said.

"You are the son of a great daiyoukai, am I correct in assuming this?" The girl's voice was strong, yet light. Every word that came from her was said with sheer overconfidence in her own strengths. She was a sheltered youkai; there could be no other explanation for the way she held herself so cocky.

"Why should this matter to you?" Sesshoumaru asked, holding Tokijin forward. "Have you come to fight me?"

"Well I certainly did not come to gaze upon your pretty face," she said mockingly. Then she drew her own blade. "This is the Shoushi-Ken. Take note, for it is the last blade you shall see on this earth."

Sesshoumaru tired of her overconfidence. His goal now was to bring her down as quick as his body would let him. Before she even had the chance to strike out at him, he came at her in full force, the graceful way he always did. Surprisingly enough, the young girl was prepared and held up her blade to block Tokijin from slicing her in half from cranium to abdomen.

He looked into her eyes for a while. She was so angry. Why had she so much anger towards someone she had never met before? Then it occurred to him that she was obviously another power-hungry youkai trying to prove herself by defeating a great youkai such as himself. The ironic thing about this type of youkai was that none of them ever succeeded. Without even a bit of effort, Sesshoumaru pushed Tokijin forwards along with the girl, knocking her to the ground.

"Go home to your family, young one, I have more pressing matters to attend to," he said. He would spare her for now, besides, she was only a child. There was no accomplishment in defeating a mere adolescent.

As his steps continued, he heard the girl stand up behind him.

"How dare you mock me!" she shouted.

He continued to walk away.

"I am of the suwan youkai clan, and I will absolutely not take such treatment from you, a mere dog!"

_Heh... such valor she has_, Sesshoumaru thought to himself as the young girl bounded towards him with her weapon held high, _surely it wouldn't hurt to put her in her place and then be rid of her._

He leapt back as she swung down at him ranting, "I am the descendent of a great daiyoukai family! Do not take my age, my stature lightly!" She leapt up and met him in mid-air as he was landing. He met each of her wild blows without even trying. As his feet touched the ground he drew back like lightning and was standing ten feet away from her in less than a second. He took Tokijin and drove it into the ground. He did not need the oni fang to give this child a taste of what power really was.

Her chest heaved in and out and her grip tightened onto her sword. "What are you doing? Pick up your weapon."

Sesshoumaru only looked at her, a hint of a smile crossing his lips. "What are you going to do, girl? You should take this chance and leave, never again showing your face in the Western Lands."

"Hmph!"

"You laugh, but my words are much more than a warning. They are a threat, and my threats are never to be taken lightly."

The girl only approached further.

Sesshoumaru was tired of talking to this child. He would destroy her once and for all. Without a second thought, he flew towards her and grasped onto her neck with his dokkasou. The girl began to gag and she dropped her weapon. Seizing Sesshoumaru's hands, she tried to pry them from her throat. Her breath was quickly leaving her.

"Now you understand, child, that you were a fool to even imagining that you could bring me down in battle. I gave you a chance to flee, yet you did not. Death is the price you pay for crossing the path of I, Sesshoumaru."

"Lord Sesshoumaru!"

He did not turn, for he knew who spoke. Why was Rin there? Had he not told her and Jaken to stay behind with Ah and Un? It was unusual for her to disobey him. "What, Rin?"

"What are you doing? Stop this!" Rin rushed forward and grabbed onto his leg. Jaken was not far behind her but he tripped and fell before he could stop her.

Sesshoumaru looked down at the tiny girl clutching onto his pant leg and yanking at it.

"Rin let go of him!" Jaken shouted, recovering from his fall. He ran over to Rin and snatched her arm, pulling her away, but her grasp was unforgiving and she simply would not let go. "Have you lost your mind?! He will soon kill you!"

Then the slight pint of a Human began to cry. Tears streamed from her little eyes. What was this madness? "Please..." her voice was barely audible.

Sesshoumaru frowned. He knew what he had to do, though it made no sense to him whatsoever. He dropped the youkai to the ground. She was barely conscious but she was still alive, though her neck was severely burned from the dokkasou. Jaken finally managed to take Rin away from him. She stood next to Jaken, sniffing lightly and rubbing tears from her eyes with her wrist.

"What's come over you, Rin?" Jaken asked in a pitiful attempt at being stern.

She had no answer for him.

Sesshoumaru began to walk away, retrieving Tokijin from the ground and sheathing it as he went along.

_Why does she do this? Does she know this piteous creature? Does she have that much pity in her heart to grant this pathetic being? Perhaps I will never understand her, that Rin._ These thoughts rang throughout his mind.

He was walking forward the entire time but he could feel Rin's eyes burning into his back.

_Are you angry with me, Rin? _he thought to himself. _That does not affect me in the slightest. Be angry. Cry as you wish. Nonetheless, never put me in such a situation ever again..._

These words were all in his head, but he knew that Rin understood without even looking at him.

"I'm sorry, my Lord," she said, sturdily. "I was just shocked that you would do that to such a young..."

"That's enough, Rin, silence yourself."

He heard not another peep from her the rest of that day. She did not understand, she would never understand. It was not his place to show mercy; it was not his place to leave an enemy unharmed; it was not his place to do such things. This girl, this youkai, this being who dare to challenge his caliber deserved to die and every muscle in his very body desired to kill her. Now that Rin was beginning to pity her that drew his longing yet further.

The suwan youkai would be a mere corpse the next time she crossed his path.


	4. A Deal with the Devil

Chapter 4

"_A Deal with the Devil"_

Naraku gazed silently into Kanna's mirror. He could see her, a suwan youkai in agony amidst a lone patch of white roses in the centre of the woods. An odd sight, indeed. It was obvious that the pitiful soul had come in contact with Sesshoumaru judging by the faded jade burns on her neck. Who was this girl to stand up to him? An ignorant angel, no doubt. Nonetheless, she would surely prove to be of use to him.

"That will be all, Kanna," he said, waving the slight incarnation of his flesh away. She bowed and left the room.

_Hmm... this girl is still alive, but why? The marks of the dokkasou are plainly visible, and I've never known Sesshoumaru to spare a foe. Unless of course that Human child got to him and begged him not to. Imagine that, a tiny creature threatening one four times her size. _Naraku laughed lightly and then regained his indifferent composure. _If this girl was after Sesshoumaru, there's no doubt that she had also fought Inuyasha. I should confirm this myself._

With that, Naraku stood and strode from Lord Kagewaki's Castle, which had for a while since been his own. He would have sent oni after the young girl, but this was a task that he would rather execute himself. Reaching the girl he knelt down over her. As he had expected, there was also a faint aura from the Kaze no Kizu lingering about her.

"Inuyasha..." he realized. "So, you too have carried out a noticeable amount of damage on this adolescent."

As he spoke, the girl began to stir.

"Inu...yasha? Taiyoukai..." her voice came out abrasive as rock. Then a small smile appeared on her face. "They cannot kill me...they cannot kill me..." she repeated this over and over again and again.

"Can they now?" Naraku asked, looking down at her.

She turned to him as if acknowledging his existence for the first time. "Who are you?"

"It would do if you would call me 'Naraku'."

"Well, Naraku...what do you want?"

He dug into a small sack connected to his belt and pulled out three shards of the Shikon no Tama. He held them out to her, the light crimson glow from the corrupted shards reflecting from her pale blue flesh. "I offer these to you, juvenile youkai. Within them is a power that can be rivaled by no one, but there is yet one catch."

The girl struggled to sit up. "What is that, Naraku?"

"Once these shards take over your body, they will soon take over your soul, and unless you are willing to give in all of your natural strength for an estranged, unknown power, you will find these shards to be an early death for you," Naraku's explanation was purposefully abridged, for what the little beast did not know would not hurt her...much.

"Very well, then, Naraku. I accept your shards, and with them I surrender my very life. After all, I only need to live long enough to destroy Inuyasha and his arrogant brother. Only then shall my body rest in peace...only then..."

Naraku held in a grin. It was easier than he thought, getting to this girl. And here he believed that she would at least put up a fight. The Shikon Jewel would soon overcome her mind and her fighting technique would become wild and brash. They would kill her, but she should have plenty of time to dispose of Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru. And all Naraku had to do was watch...

...

Kimi winced as the odd being clad in a baboon pelt, Naraku inserted three glowing shards of the Shikon no Tama into the burnt flesh of her neck. Almost as soon as the jewel made contact with her open skin, she felt her entire body change. What was once weak was now strong again; what was once dimming had once again brightened; what had once been defeated had now returned for revenge. She felt more powerful than she had ever felt in her entire life. She felt as though she could confront anyone now.

She sat up swiftly with not an ounce of pain and casually drew Shoushi-Ken, swinging into the flank of Naraku. It cut through him and he fell, sliced in half. She did not know why her body was driven to destroy him, but that was the least of her matters. Sheathing Shoushi-Ken, she began to walk in the direction of the nearest son of the daiyoukai. She would take the both of them down without the necessity for effort.

...

Inuyasha crawled across the ground sniffing at the dirt. Kagome looked down at him and blinked in confusion. _Oh why does he always do this? Why can't he track a scent standing straight up?_ It was times like these when even a blind man could decipher Inuyasha's race.

"Methinks Inuyasha has found something," Miroku said sarcastically.

Kagome smiled and covered her mouth, shielding a giggle. Inuyasha didn't seem to care. He moved on, crawling on his hands and knees until they came upon the peak of the hill they had been walking (and crawling) up. Kagome shielded her eyes from the relentless rays of the sun and saw a familiar village. They had unknowingly passed into Musashi's Domain. What force drove them there?

"What are we dong here?" Shippou asked.

Inuyasha stood up and sniffed the air once more before he began to sprint down the hill at full force.

"Inuyasha?" Sango asked.

"It's probably that suwan youkai again. You should follow him from above, Sango. The rest of us will catch up with you later," Miroku suggested.

Sango nodded. "Come, Kirara!" she said. The adorable little kitten made her transformation and Sango mounted her. The two of them flew high into the air in the same direction Inuyasha was running.

Kagome watched helplessly. She was so worried about him. He had been so silent lately, that was rare for Inuyasha. She missed hearing his voice, even though what he had to say was annoying and rash most of the time. _Is he worried? And if he is, why? He got rid of the suwan youkai so easily before._

"Inuyasha..." Kagome put her hand onto her chest and sighed heavily.

...

_Keh...what the hell does he think he's doing here?_ Inuyasha thought to himself, leaping from the hill and landing onto his feet in front of Musashi's Domain. He could smell Sesshoumaru from a mile away. First it was that lowly suwan trash now this royal headache. _She probably tried to kill him, too,_ he thought, _I bet he annihilated her._ _I wonder if she even found him yet. I won't let him have all the satisfaction!_

Peeking his head around every house, every tree in Musashi's Domain, he did not even catch a glimpse of his brother.

"What the hell? I was sure I smelled his scent..."

Then the scent began to get stronger. Inuyasha quickly grasped the hilt of Tetsusaiga. He would get this over with as quickly as his body would allow him to. Hugging a wall, he peeped behind it and caught sight of Rin and Jaken. Wherever they went, Sesshoumaru couldn't be too far away.

"Lord Sesshoumaru hates me now, doesn't he, Lord Jaken?" the little girl, Rin asked the imp.

"I wouldn't be surprised if he never wants to see you again after what you pulled!" Jaken criticized.

Rin stopped in mid-step, lightly tugging on the reigns of Ah and Un. Then the little brat pointed in the exact location where Inuyasha stood. Inuyasha grunted. Apparently, his shadow had been visible from behind the corner the entire time.

"Look, it's Inuyasha," she said in the annoying little way she said everything.

Releasing his grip from Tetsusaiga, Inuyasha took a few steps forward. "Where's Sesshoumaru?" he asked (actually more demanded than asked).

"Oh," as the question was asked, Rin's expression saddened and she looked down to the ground.

"That's no business of yours, you unworthy maggot!" Jaken declared.

"You shut up!"

As these words were spoken Inuyasha immediately sensed two familiar scents pummeling towards him. Before he could even react, a pale blue apparition flew past him, knocking Rin, Jaken, and himself to the ground. Pulling himself up he saw Sesshoumaru come up from behind them. His Tokijin was drawn. She was here, that suwan youkai, but her smell had changed. It was almost as if she was a different person.

Sesshoumaru aimed the blade of Tokijin towards the suwan youkai and shot out several pulses of bright energy towards her. A pale blue shield suddenly appeared around her, completely absorbing the attempt. She did appear weakened by it however for she took a few steps backwards, holding into her chest.

Inuyasha then decided to intervene. He ran forward, drawing Tetsusaiga, but in seconds, Sesshoumaru was standing in front of him.

"Away with you. This is my battle, hanyou," he insisted.

Inuyasha scoffed. "Don't think you're special, you jackass, she wants us both dead! Of course you already knew that, but you just want to hog all the glory for yourself, as usual!"

Rushing ahead of Sesshoumaru, Inuyasha held Tetsusaiga high and brought it down, executing the Kaze no Kizu on the youkai. Weakened enough from the power of Tokijin, the youkai collapsed, but not before her shield reflected the Kaze no Kizu right back onto Inuyasha. The Tokijin's evil energy must have been too much to reflect, which was why she absorbed it instead.

"Ahh!" Inuyasha screamed as his own attack ran directly into him and Sesshoumaru, throwing the both of them aback. Inuyasha fell onto his back and Sesshoumaru landed on his feet unharmed, it appeared.

The youkai spread her wings out and flew high into the air and spoke. "Before you die, I would like to introduce myself properly to you all," she began. "My name is Kimi, and I am the commander of the suwan militia in the hidden lands to the north. I will not allow myself to be defeated by meager dogs, and I will not return to my home until I have once and for all rid this world of you."

Sesshoumaru must have sensed something for he began to back away. Inuyasha followed his lead after he began to sense something as well. They had done so just in time, for Kimi drew her sword and quickly swung it diagonally towards them. Two large rays of pale light jutted from this blow, tearing into both Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha...

...

Sesshoumaru felt Tenseiga pulse. The damned sword's only worthy use was to thwart the power of attacks he himself had no way of recognizing before it was too late, and moments like these were of exceedingly rare for the great Sesshoumaru. He watched as a blue energy escaped from Tenseiga and formed around him. However, Inuyasha was in such close proximity that Tenseiga had no choice but to guard his life as well. What a bother...

"What?" Kimi seemed quite stunned. She lowered herself to the ground, holding Shoushi-Ken to her side. "Why won't you die...?" she asked.

Inuyasha laughed. "Heh... that annoys me as well," he said, standing up. Then he turned to Sesshoumaru and frowned. "You didn't have to save me you know."

"Hmm...don't make me laugh, Inuyasha. It is not by my force that Tenseiga has a will of its own and cannot seem to determine ally from foe," Sesshoumaru confirmed.

"Your sword...Tenseiga, you called it, it acts on its own accord to assure your safety? Keep you alive?" Kimi asked, her inquisitive tone of voice not matching with her cocky smile at all.

"It would appear so..." Sesshoumaru's answer was vague on purpose. He knew that Kimi's next move would be to rob him of Tenseiga so that she would have a fair chance in killing him. Little did she know that even without the Tenseiga, Sesshoumaru was utterly invincible to one of her competence. She would discover this sooner or later.

"Hmm..." was all Kimi said in reply. Then she sheathed Shoushi-Ken and looked directly at Inuyasha for what seemed like an entire minute.

Sesshoumaru glanced at Inuyasha who was returning this icy glare with one of his own. _Fool...do you even know why she's looking at you?_ In an attempt to break the bothersome silence, Sesshoumaru gracefully brought up his arm, which had began to glow a soft green. Deadly poison began to shoot from his talons in a light shower directly at Kimi.

She vanished into thin air. He knew that she would escape and he did not even bother trying to stop her. He would see her again.

Sheathing Tokijin, Sesshoumaru turned and began to walk away, followed by Rin and Jaken and they're cries of, "Wait up, Lord Sesshoumaru!"

...

Inuyasha wasn't exactly sure what just happened. Everything was occurring so fast that his brain started to hurt. So far he gathered that Kimi had become stronger and was able to absorb and reflect attacks, but he was sure that there was more to the incident than just that.

"That sword of hers...that attack would have done me in if Tenseiga hadn't interfered."

A large shadow appeared above him.

"Inuyasha!" Sango's voice rang as Kirara landed next to him. "Now do you believe me? About what I said when I warned you of the power of the suwan youkai?"

Inuyasha was too deep in thought to respond to her. He folded his arms and began to pace back and forth throughout the village thinking more and more about this Kimi character. She had given him an odd look, as if she knew something he did not. This foe was somehow unlike any he had fought before. This Kimi was a lot more confusing, and he was sure that that was to her advantage.

After a while, Kagome and the others caught up with him and they decided to stop by Kaede's home for dinner. She served them and gladly answered all of their questions. According to the old hag, Sango was right about everything all along. Suwan youkai were not to be played with. Their power had been witnessed by few because of their reclusive existence in the wild north amongst a quiet collection of dark woods, but that did not mean that their power was as soft as the lands that birthed them.

In history it was noted that the suwan youkai had once fought a great battle against several other clans of youkai and beaten them all without losing one warrior. Among these warriors were very much like Kimi and were probably the "daiyoukai parents" she so proudly boasted in the presence of Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru. The two suwan daiyoukai were deadly enough separately, but together, their power was unstoppable.

"So how come Kimi went down so easily before? If she's a taiyoukai, which is what Kaede is implying, why was she so easily brought down by the Kaze no Kizu?" Inuyasha asked.

Kaede replied, "Perhaps because of her youth and ignorance to the world, she underestimated you. Just think, Inuyasha, when it comes to battle, Kimi may be a commander of the militia but how many wars do you think she's been in? Few to none, one might presume."

"One skilled in battle is never as strong as one skilled in battle whom is also a veteran of war," Miroku quoted.

"You have to know combat before you can call yourself a true warrior, no matter how powerful you are or who your parents were," Sango agreed.

"I guess so..." then Inuyasha's gaze lingered outside the partially opened entrance and up to the moon...which was all but disappeared. He gasped.

Kagome, noticing his concern followed his look and let out a quick breath of surprise. "Oh no!" she exclaimed. "The night of the new moon is almost here!"


End file.
